Blade may not have worked out for Mahershala Ali, but playing a superhero is still in the cards for the Oscar-winning actor. Audiences can see Ali as a different sort of superhero in the upcoming action drama Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother Is a Blade Reunion
Ali may not be slaying vampires in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, but he is using a sword. In fact, Ali recently told GQ that the upcoming movie made use of the extensive training he did for Marvel Studios’ unproduced Blade reboot.
“I was very excited to do stunts in Blade and trained for a long time for that, so it was a huge relief to get to put that work to use,” Ali said.
Bassam Tariq wrote Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother with Ali in mind for the lead character, the devoutly religious hitman Latif, and it’s not a coincidence that he uses a sword like Blade. Tariq knew Ali had trained to use the weapon on Blade because he was originally attached to direct the Marvel movie before exiting the project in 2022.
“I saw the way he uses a sword on Blade. The first time he was doing sword practice on Blade, the stuff coming back was incredible,” Tariq recalled to GQ.
So, even though Latif is a hitman in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, there are still some superhero qualities to him. He’s a struggling father looking to protect his kids and fight for their well-being. It’s not hard to see the sort of Blade movie that Tariq and Ali could have made for Marvel Studios in this first trailer.
Mahershala Ali Has Closed the Door on Blade
Image via Rico Torres / Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. /Courtesy Everett Collection
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother proves that Ali does not need to be attached to a shared universe like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Audiences should also stop expecting to see Ali pop up as Blade in Avengers: Secret Wars, as it sounds like the actor has moved on from the role.
“If they wanted to do it, we would’ve done it,” Ali told GQ about the Blade movie. “So I have to move on, and I have moved on. So, I’m good. Again, you had me under contract, they have billions of dollars. If they wanted to do the movie, we would’ve done the movie. So we’re not doing the movie.”
It’s unclear if Marvel Studios still plans to make a Blade movie. What’s clear is that a new actor will need to be sought out for the role. With David Jonsson set to play Black Panther in Black Panther III, Damson Idris has emerged as fans’ top pick for Blade. He was previously the fan favorite to succeed the late Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother opens in select theaters on Sept. 25, ahead of a wide release in October.
Release Date
October 9, 2026
Runtime
111 minutes
Director
Bassam Tariq